Saturday, October 16, 2010

On Friday, October 15th, the third-grade classes took a trip to scenic Grand Rapids, Ohio. We left school after morning announcements at 9:20 and arrived at our destination shortly after 10:00.

Due to our scheduled tours, we ate lunch right after we got off the bus. Then, we played on the playground area for a short time.

Heading to the mill...

Historic Isaac Ludwig Mill...a restored and working canal-era mill. Students learned the history of the mill, asked questions, and got to witness the saw and a wheat grinder in action. For the second part of our trip, we boarded The Volunteer, which is an 1876 reproduced canal boat. There were three characters on board who dressed in the attire of the times and did a great job giving the students a picture of life back then. Be sure to ask your child what a LOCK is, or what kind of "meal" was offered on the boat!

In social studies last week, we ended our landform unit by making edible landforms. Each student used a graham cracker for a base and materials such as frosting, chocolate chips, Hershey Kisses, green gumdrops, red licorice, and green coconut to complete the task.

Students had to show at least one body of water (river, lake, ocean, etc.) and two different types of land (hills, mountains, plains, plateau, etc.). After that, each student created a map of his/her project. Maps had to include a title, a compass rose, and a map key. The map had to display a strong likeness to the original project. We all had a great time, and everyone's creation was so different!